<p><span>Lessons must be learned from the experiences of the zero carbon homes policy in order to tackle the Future Homes Standard, Alex Lochead, policy adviser at the Department of Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, has said.</span></p> <p><span>Speaking at the Home Builders Federation’s Technical Conference in Birmingham, Lochead commented that the “Allowable Solutions” element of the shelved policy “became a barrier to building the homes we need.”</span></p> <p><span>With the zero carbon homes policy, which the government discarded in 2015</span><span>, Lochead conceded there was “a trust deficit that the government needed to fix. The industry needs certainty in what the government intends to do.”</span></p> <p><span> </span><span>But, while acknowledging the industry challenge of delivering 300,000 homes a year,” he pointed out that “climate change is important too.”</span></p> <p><span> </span><span>Lochead appealed to the industry to seize the opportunity and become world leaders in low carbon solutions.</span></p> <p><span> </span><span>But he stressed that the government’s approach to the Future Homes Standard would not be prescriptive. “This is about improving performance outcomes rather than pushing any particular technology. We’re relaxed about how it’s done, as long as the outcome we’re looking for is achieved.”</span></p> <p><span> </span><span>The Future Homes Standard, announced by previous chancellor Philip Hammond, will see …